A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Odisha government and the Vedanta group for setting up of a medical college and hospital at Bhangabari in Bhawanipatna on Tuesday.
The much-needed project will give a fillip to health services in the western Odisha district that comes under the backward KBK region. Vedanta Foundation will invest Rs. 100 crore for the hospital infrastructure as part of CSR activities of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh. The MoU, which was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, is yet another initiative of the ruling BJD’s focus on Kalahandi district.
BJP president Amit Shah is scheduled to address party rallies in Kalahandi and neighbouring Balangir district on April 4 and 5.
Saffron surge
BJD’s poor showing in Kalahandi in the 2017 panchayat polls where a saffron surge saw the ruling party losing its primacy in several areas had forced a rethink in the regional party’s ranks.
Mr. Patnaik, however, quickly put the loss behind as the State government launched a flurry of activities in the region. He has been vocal about his government’s determination to bring Kalahandi on par with the State’s developed regions, making his intentions clear on upping the ante on his rivals while extending his sway over the State.
The government medical college and hospital, one of the seven the BJD promised to set up in backward districts in its 2014 election manifesto, comes on the heels of a slew of development projects that have been launched in Kalahandi and the adjoining districts.
While the government has already started medical colleges in Koraput and Mayurbhanj districts, it is also giving a push for similar facilities in Balangir, Keonjhar, Puri and Balasore.
With the BJD winning the recent Bijepur bypoll by a huge margin, Mr. Patnaik has set his sights deep into the tribal belt of the State.
Prasanta Patnaik